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2017 Official Emo Walleye Classic Tournament Rules

Please note tournament rules are subject to change up until the rules meeting on Thursday, May 25th, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. Rules may change without notice prior to that date.

1. All contestants must sign a liability waiver. Contestants younger than 18 years of age must have a parent or guardian sign a consent form and liability waiver.

2. Any cancellations up until 30 days before the tournament date will be refunded half of the entry fee ($250). Cancellations within 30 days of the tournament will not receive a refund.

3. Each contestant must be licensed according to the Ontario Recreational Regulations.

4. The Emo Walleye Classic will run for two days, on May 26th and 27th, 2017. Tournament boundaries will be from the dam in Fort Frances to the Baudette-Rainy River International Bridge in Rainy River. All creeks and rivers flowing into the Rainy River are out of bounds. The downstream marker boundary will be located on the downstream side of the train bridge

in Rainy River about 100 yards marked with a buoy.

5. Live bait, frozen bait, or artificial lures can be used, per Ontario Recreational Regulations. Anglers are to be off the water by 3:00 PM on Thursday May 25th, 2017, in order to participate in the Meet and Greet on Front Street.

6. Contestants will check in each morning, before the boats are launched, and check in each afternoon, before the weigh-ins, with official timekeepers at the designated locations.

7. Starting positions for day one of the tournament will be determined by team number. There will be TWOflights total each day, each departing 15 minutes apart. Day one flights will be posted at the rules meeting; day two flights will be available after the day one audit and take off will be the lowest weight leaving first from day one to the highest weight leaving last on day two order.

8. Tournament fishing hours will be as follows:

Day 1:

Flight One -- 8:00 am – 3:30 pm

Flight Two -- 8:15 am – 3:45 pm

Day 2:

Flight One -- 8:00 am – 3:30 pm

Flight Two -- 8:15 am –3:45 pm

9. All boats must attend a pre-inspection before flight time; inspection volunteers will be available at 6:00 am. Itis each team’s responsibility to be in the water in time to be inspected before they are scheduled to depart from the designated location. ALL boats on both days of the tournament will be inspected and in the river by 8:00 am. Boats that are not inspected and ready to depart when their team number is called will be required to wait until all other boats in their flight have departed. Boats will be launched on a first -come, first inspected basis. All boats will line up single file in the river along the dock and proceed to wait by Mark Allan in the pontoon boat before given the green light to take off.

10. Returning boats must slow down at the spotter boats, and approach the officials on the dock from downriver.

11. Teams arriving at the spotter boat past their designated flight return time will not be allowed to weigh in for that day.

12. All boats and contestants must adhere to current Federal and Provincial boating regulations.

13. Tournament officials reserve the right at any time to disallow the use of any boat and/or motor they deem to be unsafe, inappropriate or unsuitable for use in the tournament.

14. All boat tillers and consoles must be equipped with a seat for the passenger and at least one handle device for the passenger to secure themselves. All contestants must wear an approved personal flotation device when boat is on step.

15. Instant stop switches, kill switches or tether switches must be attached to driver and boat kill switch when main combustion engine is in operation, if it is so equipped.

16. All boats must be equipped with a live well, either permanent or temporary, with a flow - through or aeration system. The use of water treatment chemicals in live wells that are legally available in Ontario is permitted. All caught fish must be kept in live wells at all times.

17. Each boat will be assigned a number, printed on two motor tags, which must be af fixed to each side of the motor and be visible at all times.

18. Boats and their respective anglers must not come into contact with another boat and their respective anglers at any time, either in or out of the water. Intentional contact, or the passing of objects between boats, will result in disqualification. Teams must not tow another boat unless dangerous conditions exist.

19. Any competitor stepping ashore without approval or accompaniment by a tournament official will be disqualified, except in life -threatening circumstances.

20. In the case of a boat breakdown, a team must contact a tournament official or spotter before taking any action that would otherwise disqualify them, except in life-threatening circumstances. Officials will advise as to what actions can be taken in order to return the team's catch to the designated return area. The actions that a team may take, as determined by officials, are deemed the only course of action that will not result in disqualification.

21. In the case of a boat breakdown or emergency, a team must contact a tournament official or spotter boat. Emergency contact cell phone numbers will be provided to all teams during the rules meeting. Tournament officials will advise you of procedures to follow to avoid disqualification and/or will provide assistance in the case of emergency. Every attempt will be made to assist in getting your fish to the weigh station on time; however, it cannot be guaranteed.

22. No underwater cameras may be used during the tournament.

23. All contestants are expected to act in a sportsmanlike manner at all times. Failure to do so may result in disqualification from the tournament, at the Rules Committee's discretion.

24. There must be a team of two (2) persons per boat. The same two (2) competitors who start the tournament must finish the tournament, except in extreme or exceptional circumstances. The tournament officials will assign an alternate or aid in finding a replacement in such circumstances.

25. The tournament officials shall declare any entrant or participant ineligible to compete who is unable to perform safety functions, or may hinder/endanger the safety or well being of other contestants.

26. Possession or use of alcohol or any drug by competing anglers (other than those prescribed by a physician) before finishing weighing in on each day is prohibited, and will result in disqualification.

27. Non-contestants are not allowed to hold a spot in the river for a contestant.

28. All competitors must report to the docking station and the arena, whether they have caught fish or not.

29. Competitors may be requested to perform a polygraph test.

30. Starting in the morning with no fish, each team is allowed to catch and hold up to four (4) fish in their live well as they are caught during the day. Therefore, culling of smaller fish must be done before putting larger fish into the live well.

31. Size restrictions are in effect. All fish must be a minimum of 12 inches measured on the longest side. Each team is allowed four (4) fish per day, of which two (2) may be over 18 inches. If a team’s catch includes more than two fish over 18 inches, the largest of the three will be culled by the weighmaster.

32. If, upon inspection, a team carries more than a total of four (4) fish in their live well, their catch will be culled down to four by the tournament officials or spotters, starting with the largest fish, followed by the next-largest, and so on.

33. To reduce stress caused by holding fish in live wells for too long, teams are permitted to come into the riverfront weigh station during the tournament hours to weigh in or measure their catch on the official scale or measurement ruler by the weighmaster.

34. All weights called by the weighmaster are deemed accurate and final and are not contestable. Each and every dead fish will result in a penalty of one-half (.5) pound to the total catch weight for that day. Dead fish are defined as any fish not capable of recovery at the time of weighing. Fish will be designated alive or dead at the launch site.

35. No weight of any kind may be attached to a fish at the time of inspection. Any devices attached will be removed, and a one-pound penalty will be assessed for each fish with a device attached.

36. Any team’s catch may be subject to measurement by the weighmaster, at his or her discretion.

37. In the case of a tie, the team with the biggest single day catch during the two days of the tournament fishing will be declared the winner. If the teams are still tied at that point, the winner will be determined by a coin toss.

38. Competitors may be disqualified for any violation of the tournament rules and, in such circumstances, will not receive a refund of their entry fee.

39. The tournament officials retain the right to change or amend these rules at their discretion. A final set of rules will be supplied at the Thursday night rule meeting.

40. At least one member of the team must attend the contestants’ official meeting “Rules and Registration Night” at the Emo/LaVallee Arena on Thursday, May 25th, 2017, at 7:00 pm. Failure of at least one team member to attend the rules meeting will result in loss of start position on day one of the tournament and a half-hour penalty in departure after the final flight has left, as well as mandatory attendance by both team members at a special rules meeting prior to launch on Day One.

41. Tournament contestants can file an official protest if so desired, for a $100 cash fee, up to 30 minutes after the final team has weighed in. The fee is non-refundable, unless the protest results in a change in the tournament rules committee’s decision.